


Too Many Thoughts

by elumish



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode: s02e09 Secrets, F/M, Friendship, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2015-04-07
Packaged: 2018-03-21 17:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3701109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elumish/pseuds/elumish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For a moment, Jack considered walking away from the Program.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Too Many Thoughts

For a moment, Jack considered walking away from the Program.

To be exact, it was two minutes and seventeen seconds, and then he decided him leaving the Program wouldn’t do any good. And besides, he enjoyed his work, which was more than he could say about a decent amount of the black ops work he had been doing before his first retirement.

As he had said to Jacob Carter—who knew that Carter had a dad, much less one who was a General?—they had their moments. But those moments weren’t supposed to include killing people from Earth, much less citizens of the United States. And no matter what anyone said to him, he didn’t believe that the journalist’s death was an accident. He had seen enough assassinations to know what one looked like, and this had all the hallmarks of it.

But they had more pressing concerns at the moment than the thought that some portion of the United States government may be participants or at least complicit in the murder of US citizens on US soil. A thought he never thought he would have before joining the Stargate Program, and still wasn’t one-hundred percent sure he was okay with. 

“Are you alright, sir?”

Jack looked up from his cereal to see Carter standing behind the chair across from his seat, her hands clasped behind her back. “Shouldn’t you be asking Daniel that?”

She flushed slightly. “I, uh, just got back from doing that. He said something that I think was swearing in a language that I think was Abydonian, then went back to downing what I think was his fourth beer. Teal’c got permission to stay with him at his apartment for the night so he doesn’t choke to death on his own vomit or jump out a window.”

That was a pleasant thought, and with that, Jack lost whatever had remained of his nonexistent appetite. "Thank you for that, Carter.”

The corner of her mouth turned up in that way that she had, like she was ashamed of smiling wide enough for someone to notice. He wondered if her father had taught her that. Major General Jacob Carter.

When she didn’t move, he gestured towards the seat in front of her. “You can sit, Carter.”

She slid into the seat, and he pushed the half-empty bowl of cereal off to the side. The commissary was relatively empty—it was late, almost nine—but neither of them had wanted to go home. “Thank you, sir.”

She seemed uncomfortable, the shadows under her eyes darker than usual—though she always looked like she hadn’t gotten quite enough sleep, even though she never had a hair out of place or a misplaced wrinkle. “Are _you_ okay?”

Carter started like she hadn’t expected the question—or hadn’t expected him to speak at all—then turned her attention squarely to his bowl of cereal. “Yes, sir. I’m fine, sir.”

That wouldn’t have convinced a five-year-old, but he wasn’t sure if he was willing to push her on it, not right now. She would feel obligated to tell him because he was her commanding officer, and if it was personal, he didn’t really have a right to do that. “If you say so.”

She was silent for a moment, then breathed out a small sigh. “Hell of a day, wasn’t it, sir?”

“Yeah.” Between DC and the mess with Daniel, it was definitely not one of their better days. And thinking of Daniel only reminded him of Charlie. Of what it would be like to go home one day and see Charlie sitting there, alive. He would want to drink himself into a coma, too.

Almost had, a few times.

And that was not a line of thought he wanted to pursue. In fact, it was one he wanted to pursue less than the United States assassinating its own people, which was, in his mind, fairly impressive.

Carter sighed again, then stood, stretching her shoulders back, which did some interesting things to her chest underneath the black t-shirt she had on. Which was yet another line of thought he should stay far, far away from. “I’m heading home, sir. See you tomorrow.”

“Yes. Tomorrow.” Which felt far too close for him to drag himself back to his house. Maybe he would just stay on base for the night. Now there was a plan. “Get some rest, Carter.”

“Yes, sir.” And then she turned and walked away, and he was left with her cereal and more too many thoughts that he had no interest in having.


End file.
